The Laughing Den
by Ryth76
Summary: It was nice, hanging around the apartment together. One-shot! NaruHina Fluff.


**A/N: Believe it or not, writing this story just warmed my heart down to my toes xD. If you don't know why that's amazing, I'm not a fan of NaruHina. At all. It's one of my least favorite pairings. Then again, that's not saying much either, because when I say least it usually mean "This pairing is way overused," and not, "Burn the ship at the stake!"**

**This is set some time in the future. Naruto and Hinata are in their twenties or a little older. This is why Hinata doesn't stutter or act timid much, though she is prone to acting a little shy and timid around her boyfriend now and then. It may seem a little OOC to you. A one-shot. Sorry, but I really like how it ends ^_^**

**Edit: Changed title to 'The Laughing Den' instead of 'The Laughing Apartment.' It sounded too wordy before.**

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**The Laughing Den  
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Water dripped down fog misted windows like tears, while laughter echoed in the apartment, giving it the appearance of chuckling to the point of crying. Inside, Hinata giggled as Naruto laughed off his accident. He picked up the boiled egg. "Now you try."

She only laughed harder. She could barely breathe. "Na… Naruto-kun, I really don't think I can…" She heaved.

He held out the egg. "Come on, it's fun."

Hinata smiled nervously. "Oh, okay… but please don't be disappointed."

She placed the egg on top of her head, nestling in her dark hair. Her face went slack and she lowered her eyes into a tired expression. "It's… so troublesome…" She said, deepening her voice and forming a large circle with her fingers. "But… the clouds look so nice… " Her lips twitched as she struggled not to laugh. She broke into chuckles, catching the egg before it could hit the ground, while Naruto howled with laughter.

"That… that was great. Shikamaru, dead on," he choked out.

She blushed and gave a timid smile. "Uh, thanks, Naruto-kun… I'm sorry it was a bit short…"

Naruto brushed it off. "Nah… that was hilarious."

He took a deep breath. Hinata touched her fingers together. She said in a small, childlike voice, looking away from him, "Um… I really enjoyed this. You know… just hanging around in the apartment, enjoying each other's company…"

"It was fun," Naruto admitted. He held out his chopsticks and she leaned into him to eat the swirled fish cake, looking up at him at last with amused eyes. Her back rested against his breast bone, so that she was nearly in his lap. "I heard a rumor on one of my missions that the carnival will be coming to Konoha next Sunday, if you want to come…"

Hinata gave the biggest smile Naruto had seen her give yet. She placed her head on his shoulder and wrapped the throw tighter around them. "Mm, that sounds nice. I hear they have a very popular cinnamon roll booth."

Naruto gazed down at the peaceful looking dark-haired young woman. It was hard to believe the girl sitting with him was the same Hinata who could barely speak around him. Ten years did remarkable things to a person. He palmed the now crack boiled egg.

"Yeah, they're very good. I should know; I tried one." His eyes widened in exaggeration. "Oh, you would die for them. They literally melts in your mouth. Not too sweet either."

Hinata smiled. "I like that…"

Unsure what else to say, they sat quietly and Naruto scraped the inside of the ramen cup. He looked into the cup carefully for any hiding pieces. He groaned inwardly. Nothing left inside. He looked at the shyly smiling girl, looking away from him, and a devious idea lit his eyes up. He smiled deviously. He bent his head and kissed her, tasting the warm ramen juice on her lips. Hinata started as though electricuted, then sighed softly, returning the surprise kiss. She closed her eyes, savoring the warm feel of his lips.

He pulled away, pursing tingling lips, and she scooted away to stand. "Um… Goodnight, Naruto-kun…"

Naruto grinned up at her smugly. "See you tomorrow, Hinata."

She answered, swiftly, "Oh! Oh, no. I have a mission tomorrow. I'll be back in a couple of days." He stood to place her scarf around her neck. She turned to face him as he fixed her up. "My team is supposed to escort a merchant to the Grass Country. It's a very basic mission, but… you know, they are all really excited…"

Naruto laughed. "Okay, I understand. You be careful. Missions like these can be full of surprises." He gave her a second kiss for good luck. He said, only half-jokingly, "If any guy tells you he thinks you are his future girlfriend, you have full permission from the Hokage to use Jyuuken on him."

She turned bright red and stuttered in shock, "N-Naruto-kun! That would be mean."

Naruto shrugged with a smirk. "Permission's still there."

He enveloped her in a hug. "Good night, Hinata."

She made a soft noise. "Good night, again, Naruto-kun."

She turned reluctantly toward the door, looking back at him with an adoring smile. Naruto followed her out the door and watched her lightly descend down the stairs. He sighed and placed his hands on his burning cheeks. He slipped his hand in his pocket and fingered the small jewelry box. He looked at it and placed it on top of the shelf. He'd lost his courage this night, but next Sunday would either break his heart or make her world. What was he waiting for?

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**A/N: If you have to ask about the jewelry box, shame on you! **

**For those who might complain about me making Hinata so much less shy (to the point of being OOC): She's been dating Naruto for a while (judging by the jewelry box on Naruto's person) and it's been ten years since her shyness was at its worse. I used to be super shy, but I got over it when I grew older. So did just about everyone I knew that was super shy. Then again, some loud people got really shy and timid after a while for some strange reason. So who knows? Maybe if the Naruto cast was real, eventually Hinata and Naruto will trade behaviors. *smirk***

**Anyway, I like how it ends. It feels like 'hope' as it is more or less certain what her answer would be, but the reader doesn't see this. I want this story to stay in this night. One date ending with a bit of promise for their future without actually revealing how the date at the carnival goes. **

**You can imagine they did more than snuggle, play with a boiled egg, and mouth-feed Hinata, if you want. I like to think they did nothing but do more the same of what you read, though.  
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End file.
